1 Corinthians (Program #50) – Dealing with the Gifts (6)

Two chapters in 1 Corinthians deals specifically with the matter of the gifts, chapter twelve and thirteen. Though there is similarities between these two chapters there is a significant change in focus or emphasis. Eighteen times in the chapter twelve Paul uses the term, “the Body” referring of course to the Body of Christ.

But in chapter fourteen, we never hear the Body. Rather in this chapter the emphasis was the church and specifically is the building up of the church. Listen to the shift that takes place in  these few verses.

12:12 “For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.”

12:27-28  “Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually. And God has placed some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.”

Is this just Paul used of idol synonyms? Or is this divine? Or is this the divine wisdom manifest once again for our further instruction?

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1 Corinthians (Program #49) – Dealing with the Gifts (5)

As the apostle Paul was writing chapter 12, 13 and 14 of 1 Corinthians, he had much more in his heart then just dealing with the problem of the improper use or abuse of the gifts of the Spirit. There was an overwhelming burden on his heart and in his spirit concerning several crucial matters related to the building up of the Body of Christ, the church.

In chapter twelve and thirteen, he emphasizes five things: Speaking, the Spirit, the Body, God’ administration and love.  Then in chapter 14, he comes to another main item, the superiority of one particular gift for the building up of the church. Among the main spiritual gifts describe in this portion of the word, one stands out as superior for building up the church. What is this unique superior gift?

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1 Corinthians (Program #47) – Dealing with the Gifts (3)

No division in the Body of Christ, is it too idealistic to think that they could actually be no division in the Body of Christ as the Bible charges in 1 Corinthians 12:25?

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1 Corinthians (Program #46) – Dealing with the Gifts (2)

Did you ever wonder what the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is?

Many Christians thinks the goal is their own personal self edification. But the apostle Paul care more for the building of the Body of Christ.  Stay tune for a special word from 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

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1 Corinthians (Program #22) – Feeding, Drinking, Eating, Planting, Watering, Growing

The believers in the church of Corinth that Paul was writing to in 1 Corinthians had a number of problems. But not just problems that could be remedy by giving them advice or spiritual counsel. The apostle spoke to them in a very strong way in chapter three telling them that they are infants, fleshy and even fleshly. These are symptoms of a very poor spiritual condition.

But after such a sober word he proceeds to show them the way out of such spiritual poverty not by teaching them but by giving them many marvelous expressions all pointing them to their real lack which was to eat and drink of Christ and to become planters, feeders and waterers in the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:2 & 6, “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. ….. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. ”

We can’t have too much eating, drinking, enjoying of our dear Lord Jesus.

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Romans (Program #70) – Being in the Spirit to Experience the Work of the Spirit

We may have the assurance that we are children of God by the witnessing of the Spirit with our spirit. This is not a method, this is an action of the Spirit.

Today brings us to our 70th and final life study of the book of Romans. It has been quite an examination of one of the classic books of the Christian faith.

What has been the central message of this life study of Romans?  One way to summarize it is with five words: sinners, sons, members, Body and churches. The central thought or message of Romans is that God is making sinners into sons to be the members of the Body of Christ expressed in local churches…

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Romans (Program #36) – Being Freed from Death (1)

We sinners are not sinners only because we commit some sin. Through the fall of Adam, we all were constituted sinners by being born in sin.

We’re somewhere at the midpoint in our study of Romans. I think it’d be helpful if we reviewed briefly and summarized the central focus of this book that has been dubbed, as we mentioned before, “The Gospel of God”.  This book of Romans is called “The Gospel of God” because it gives us the full gospel including the judicial redemption by Christ’s death and the organic salvation in His resurrection life. The focus of the revelation of this book is that God is making sons out of sinners to form the Body of Christ to express Christ. In this book, we have seen also that God is expressed in the Son, Jesus Christ, and further that the Son is expressed in a Body. We have seen and we will see further that the Body is expressed in the local churches.

That’s “The gospel of God” and Romans, as we’ve indicated, has also been called the fifth gospel.

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Romans (Program #26) – Transformation in Practicing the Body Life (1)

Our life study of Romans today brings to to chapter 12, a wonderful marvelous chapter in the book of Romans.  The early portions of Romans present us many great spiritual terms; justification, sanctification, glorification to name just a few.  We have seen deeper meanings of these items in the previous programs.  But the presentation that will take place today will begin to show how the process of life that we experience really has a goal related to our practice of life.

The process of life is sanctification and this is actually the process of our being saved in Christ’s life.  He sanctifies us wholly.  This means He adds Himself in His holy nature into our spirit, into our soul, and into our body.  This is the process of life.  more…

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Romans (Program #1) – A Foreword

Our God is a God of newness and we enjoy Him and apply Him for this new start in the Life-Study series.

Historically, Romans has been presented and studied as one of the great books of Christian doctrine and theology. Certainly we will recognize it in this way and touch these bulwarks of the truth in the weeks ahead, but that will not be our primary emphasis in this Life-Study of Romans. Although we in no way intend to minimize the significance of Romans as a basic book of doctrine and theology – more…

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Acts (Program #36) – The Propagation in Asia Minor and Europe through the Ministry of Paul’s Company (2)

The Apostle Paul was the vessel chosen by God to carry the New Testament ministry to the non-Jewish world.  He was also ultimately used to pen more than half of the books in the New Testament; from his personal encounter with the resurrected Christ to his full realization of the meaning of the term “Body of Christ”, his life and ministry stand as a great inspiration and example to believers throughout all ages.  We look at the beginning of his ministry on today’s life study of the Bible.

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